The present invention generally relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program for searching for and retrieving desired contents with ease.
In recent years, the prices of large-capacity hard disk drives and semiconductor memories have plummeted. The trend has allowed a growing number of people to store large quantities of contents (e.g., moving and still pictures) on their storage media. Currently under study are a number of techniques for searching through information processing apparatus as a massive content holder for desired contents. One such technique is disclosed illustratively in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-115529.
One typical technique for searching for (i.e., selecting) a desired content from among massive contents involves grouping the contents into a layered structure. The layers are then selected one after another so that the contents belonging to each selected layer may be displayed until the desired content is found. Another technique involves displaying a user-recognizable number of contents on a screen in order of their dates or names. The display is repeated with contents on different screens until the desired content is found. What is displayed on the screen may not be contents themselves but may be thumbnails, icons, titles or other indications representing the contents.
Such prevalent content searching techniques have been suitable for consecutively searching through retained contents. The trouble is that it takes more and more time and effort to search through the increasing number of contents. Because parts of massive contents are locally displayed for search purposes, it is difficult to get an overview of the contents in storage.
With little consideration for relationships between stored contents, it is also difficult to recognize contents that are similar to one another. According to another technique, a plurality of keywords are input and the contents matching the entered keywords are retrieved for display so that contents similar to what is desired may be found. However, some users find it tiresome to carry out such input operations.
The trend for storage media to become still larger in capacity is expected to intensify. The challenge is how to search easily through masses of stored contents for the desired content.
Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.